Plymouth C ongregational C hurch

Transcription

1 Plymouth C ongregational C hurch A Congregation of the United Church of Christ S ervice of the Word M ay 28, 2017 S eventh S unday of E aster 10:00 am RIN G IN G O F TH E BE L L TH E G ATH E RING PRE L U D E Thus spake J esus (Prayer that they may all be one ) M ichael H ead *O PE N IN G H Y M N The G od of Abraham Praise N o. 24 *C AL L TO WO RSH IP G racia Sears H eaven is here, and earth, and the space between them thin. D istance may divide, but G od unites we who are bounded by time and those who are blessed by eternity. H eaven is here, and earth, and the C hurch above and below is one. Peter is here, and Paul, M artha and all the M arys, Francis, Theresa and D r. King the saints far back and those who left us not long ago. H eaven is here and earth, and the G od who made them is present. G od inhales the breath of our prayers and spreads a table for our satisfaction. WO RD S O F WE L C O M E PRAY E R O F C O N FE SSIO N *ASSU RAN C E O F PARD O N TH E RE F RE SH M E N T O F FO RG IVE N E S S Q uinn G. C aldwell *Please rise if you are able

2 *PASSIN G O F TH E PE ACE Please share a sign of peace with those around you. *PRAISE SO N G (unison) A Repeating Alleluia C alvin H ampton During the Alleluia, kids can head upstairs with Liz for Chapel Time. TH E G IF T O F TH E WO RD AN TH E M King of G lory, King of Peace Roland M artin King of Glory, King of Peace, I will love thee; And that love may never cease, I will move thee. Thou hast granted my request. Thou hast heard me. Thou didst note my working breast. Thou hast spared me. Wherefore, with my utmost art, I will sing thee And the cream of all my heart I will bring thee. Though my sins against me cried, thou didst clear me. and alone, when they replied, thou didst hear me. Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee in my heart, though not in heaven, I can raise thee. Thou grewst soft and moist with tears, thou relentedst: And when justice called for fears, thou dissentedst. Small it is, in this poor sort to enroll thee, e'en eternity's too short to extol thee. PRAY E R FO R IL L U M IN ATIO N H oly O ne, you appeared when they least expected you. N ow when we long for you, come to us and reveal yourself. SC RIPTU RE J ohn 17:1-1 *H Y M N O C hrist J esus, Sent from H eaven N o. 47 SE RM O N M O M E N T FO R SIL EN T RE FLE C TIO N PASTO RAL PRAY E R TH E PRAY E R O F O U R SAVIO R TH E M INISTRY O F PRAY E R Used by permission O ur F ather, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. G ive us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we 2

3 forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. F or thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. There are several beloved versions of this prayer. In an effort to pray in unison while respecting the different versions that many of us have prayed since childhood, we will cycle through the different versions over the course of a year. We will pray using debts through the end of summer. C AL L TO TH E O FFE RIN G O F F E RIN G O U RSE L VE S AN D O U R G IF TS Today we are receiving a special offering for the ongoing work of the United Church of Christ: The Strengthen the Church Offering. Checks made out to Plymouth and marked Strengthen the Church, or any offering put in the specially marked envelopes in the pews, will go to plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches and develop the spiritual life in our youth and young adults. Offerings not so marked will go to do all that same work and more locally, here at Plymouth. O FFE RTO RY AN TH E M With a voice of singing M artin Shaw With a voice of singing declare ye this, and let it be heard, Alleluia! Utter it even unto the ends of the earth. The Lord hath delivered His people, Alleluia! O be joyful in God, all ye lands. O sing praises to the honor of His name, make His praise to be glorious. With a voice of singing, declare ye this, and let it be heard, Alleluia! *D O X O L O G Y Lasst uns Erfreuen Praise G od, from whom all blessings flow; Praise G od, all creatures here below. Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise H oly Spirit evermore; O ne G od, triune, whom we adore! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen. *PRAY E R O F D E D IC ATIO N *C L O SIN G H Y M N For the Beauty of the Earth N o. 28 *BE N E D IC TIO N PO STL U D E Te D eum M arc-antoine C harpentier 3

4 Plymouth Runs O n Y O U G RE E TE RS : Elaine and D oug Wolf L ITU RG IS T: G racia Sears U S H E RS : Frank L eonard and J onathan Preston AC O L Y TE : D ac oda Weller O F FE RIN G C O U NTE RS : Elaine Wolf and G eorge Bain You can volunteer for many of these ministries via the Plymouth website Go to the Get Involved page and click on the link above the choir photo. H ospitality M inistry Please consider serving as a host for C ommunity Time. There is a sign-up chart in the bell tower entrance. It s easy and we ll help you! F lowers M ake our worship space even more beautiful for the glory of G od and in honor of whatever you choose. A sign-up sheet is found in the bell tower entry. The cost is $25, but plans for larger or multiple arrangements can always be made. Accessibility: Individual listening headsets are available on the table at the back of the sanctuary. Please contact one of the ushers for help. An elevator and ramp are available. L ARG E PRIN T BU L L E TIN S ARE IN TH E BAC K O F TH E SAN C TU ARY. Welcoming C hildren in Worship: C hildren of all ages have a place in worship and in the life of the church. N ursery care is offered at 10:00 am for infants. Sound is piped into M emorial H all next door to the Sanctuary for those who would welcome a space apart. Worship C lipboards: Worship clipboards with age-appropriate bulletins and coloring paper are available in the back of the Sanctuary for our elementary aged children as a support to their attendance in worship. We hope you will find these clipboards a welcoming and supportive means of engaging your children during the worship service. There is ample free street parking on the blocks around our church on Sundays, as well as in the lots behind the C atholic diocese building. For those able to walk a short distance, parking here will allow those with mobility impairments or small children to use the spots directly in front of the church. M usic N otes for M ay 28, 2017 This week we express our appreciation to Alice H att for leading the music in worship while J oe D owning is on vacation. We also express our appreciation to J on Trudell, who has sung in the choir and played timpani, drum set and other percussion for us for the past four years. We wish him all the best for his future in N ew Y ork C ity. Today s Prelude, Thus spake J esus, by M ichael H ead, is a vocal meditation on J ohn 17, sung by Bass M ichael C hellis. J esus prayer that they may be one is a central commitment of the U nited C hurch of C hrist. British composer M ichael H ead ( ) was a singer, pianist and organist who was associated with the Royal Academy of M usic. H is compositions mainly consist of songs, as well as choral works and a few larger-scale pieces such as a piano concerto. Today s anthem, K ing of G lory, K ing of Peace was written by Roland M artin, who teaches at the U niversity of Buffalo, and is Assistant D irector/accompanist for the C hautauqua C hamber Singers. The piece was commissioned by C hrist the K ing E piscopal C hurch in Stone Ridge, N Y. The well-known text is by the Welsh poet, orator and Anglican priest G eorge H erbert ( ). The antiphonal quality of this poem emphasizes the contrast between the promises of the 4

5 singers and the actions of what G od has already done. The poem is taken from the posthumous collection of H erbert s poetry, The Temple. O ur O ffertory Anthem, With a voice of singing, is a joyous choral classic by M artin Shaw ( ). Shaw was a well known E nglish composer, organist, conductor, and co-founder of Britain s Royal School of C hurch M usic (1918). Shaw composed With a Voice of Singing in 1923 for the annual festival of the Rochester D iocesan (C hurch of E ngland) C hurch C hoirs Association, a diocese in the province of C anterbury. The praise text is like a Psalm and is filled with alleluias, helping us celebrate the 7 th Sunday of E aster. Shaw had a deep interest in improving the levels of congregational song and choral singing in small parishes and was an early organizer of hymn festivals. With Vaughan Williams, he was the music editor of The English Hymnal, 1906, the first hymnal of the 20 th century. Today s postlude, the Te D eum is the best known composition of the French composer M arc- Antoine C harpentier ( ). C harpentier studied in Rome and then returned to Paris where he became music director at Saint C hapelle. This regal march was frequently played at victory celebrations and other occasions of public jubilation during the 17th century. E xceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions in several genres. About Plymouth Plymouth was founded in 1853 by a group of Syracusans who wanted to create a C hristian abolitionist bulwark in the city. Since then, we have fought against slavery, poverty, and war; for immigrants, natives, workers, L G BT, and women s rights; and sought to be agents of mercy in a hurting world. We believe in beauty, laughter, the struggle for peace with justice, taking risks for G od, and the Way of J esus C hrist. O ur faith is over 2,000 years old; our thinking is not! We are O pen and Affirming We believe G od calls us to welcome all people and their gifts regardless of gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or religious background. We are J ust Peace We covenant to live actively within the holy longing that weds justice with the quest for peace within us, between us, in community, and across the globe. We covenant to affirm the sacredness of all life and to honor and preserve creation. We are S anctuary We provide a space of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety for immigrants without documents, and specifically pledge to the principles of the national N ew Sanctuary M ovement. We are Progressive C hristians We try to walk in the way of J esus C hrist, our brother and savior. We believe G od speaks new meanings for new days, and that She does so not only in the church and the ancient words of the Bible, but through the insights of science, the arts, the revelations of other religions, and the best strivings of the human spirit. We believe G od has granted us a purpose, and that life is too short for long-faced religion. J oin us! Rev. Q uinn G. C aldwell, Pastor D r. J oseph D owning, D irector of M usic L iz Pruchnicki, D irector of C hildren, Y outh, and Family M inistries Kathy Ferro, C hurch Administrator M ark J ohnson, Sexton 232 E ast O nondaga Street Syracuse, N ew Y ork (315) plymouthsyr.org office@plymouthsyr.org 5